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Day 209 of 280 · 29 weeks + 6 days

Preterm signs, refreshed

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 6 sources · Plain-text version

Twenty-nine weeks and six days. A five-minute refresher on the signs of early labour, with the numbers that tell you to call, while everything is calm.

Size this week
about the size of a butternut squash
Length this week
around 38.6 cm from head to heel
A woman with a full bump in a soft grey sweatshirt standing at the fridge in afternoon light, pinning up a handwritten card with a magnet, a toddler's drawing beside it.

Twenty-nine weeks and six days. This note isn't a prediction. It's a refresher on the signs that would mean calling early, because the numbers are easier to learn on a quiet afternoon than in the middle of one.

Your baby

A single butternut squash on a plain pale wooden table, soft window light.

Around 38.6cm from head to heel, about the size of a butternut squash (NHS). By the NICHD's count, the third trimester runs from week 29 to week 40 (NICHD), and every week of it matters: the brain, lungs and liver are still developing in the final weeks, and the earlier a baby is born, the higher the risk of serious problems (NICHD).

Your body

Labour that starts before week 37 is preterm, and about 1 in 10 US babies is born preterm (MedlinePlus). The cause is unknown in most women (MedlinePlus), which is why the signs matter more than the reasons. Early treatment is the best way to prevent a preterm delivery, and good prenatal care improves outcomes (MedlinePlus).

Some of what you feel now is ordinary third-trimester work. The baby pressing on your lungs can make you breathless, and the extra weight adds strain (NHS). Some uterine contractions through the day are normal too (NICHD).

Try today

  1. The preterm-signs refresher

    Time: 5 minutes

    1. Find the card you made earlier with the six-in-an-hour rule, or start a fresh one.

    2. Add the MedlinePlus line in your own handwriting: more than 5 contractions an hour, or contractions that are regular and painful, means contacting your provider immediately (MedlinePlus).

    3. Under it, list the other signs: leaking fluid or bleeding, pressure in the pelvis, a low dull backache, cramps like a period (NICHD).

    4. Check the phone numbers on the card still work, and that the labour and delivery line is on it.

    Make it work:

    Read it aloud once to your partner. A list you've said is a list you'll remember.

Watch for

  • Normal

    a few painless tightenings across the day (NICHD).

    Call your provider

    immediately for more than 5 contractions in an hour, or contractions that are regular and painful (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    a heavier, achier feeling by evening.

    Call your provider

    or go to the hospital for pelvic pressure, a low dull backache, period-like cramps, or a change in discharge such as leaking fluid or bleeding (NICHD).

  • Normal

    getting out of breath more easily (NHS).

    Call 911

    for severe chest pain or shortness of breath that does not go away (MedlinePlus).

For you

One of the habits MedlinePlus recommends against preterm birth is plain: 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night, with naps if you need them (MedlinePlus). If a nap feels lazy, count it as part of the list.

If you're the partner: learn the card too. If she says something feels off, the job isn't to judge whether it's real labour. It's to help her make the call.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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